Mel Gibson's Younger Brother Donal Reveals 'Money' Was the Cause of Their Bitter Rift
Donal Gibson, younger brother to Hollywood director and veteran actor, Mel Gibson, has opened up about his troubled relationship with his elder sibling. In an exclusive 'first' interview with Daily Mail, he revealed that he is no longer on talking terms with the Braveheart actor.
He mentioned how he and Mel used to be super close and that he finds it hard to even believe that they are not in touch anymore. He said how fame changed Mel and made him believe in self-publicity. "The Mel I knew disappeared. Hollywood ate him up and spat him out. To me, the fame, the money, it all went to his head and created a monster. I hate what he has become," he added.
Donal' interview comes at the point when his Oscar-winning actor brother is about to 'resurrect' his 'passion' project - a sequel to The Passion of the Christ called Resurrection.
The 2004 original movie was made with a $30 million budget in Aramaic, Hebrew, and Latin and grossed an estimated $611 million worldwide. However, it received extreme backlash for its depiction of violence and anti-semitic views.
Donal believes his career in Hollywood could not ressurect because of his brother's drunk behavior and his comments. "I believe I was blacklisted. Mel was OK because he had millions pouring into the bank." He talked about how Mel's remarks about Jews made his work dry up because their surname came to be associated with toxicity.
Even though he was working with big studios such as Warner Brothers and Disney, everything came to a halt overnight. Donal was supportive in the beginning as he was happy for his success. However, everything turned sour with The Passion. "It feels that when he made that film he didn't care what it would do to my acting career. He didn't care his antisemitic outbursts would have consequences for me."
Donal alleges that Mel gave him a hard time and was prone to violent emotional outbursts. "He shouted at me, telling me if I was upset by the Gibson name I should change my name. He screamed: 'You can't guilt me on this' and 'your problems are your own!' He was surrounded by people who only told him what he wanted to hear."
Reminiscing about childhood and their strong bond earlier, Donal talked about them jumping out of windows, skiing on thin ice, playing soldiers, being chased by a dog and dodging lightning together. "Even when Mel was young he was driven. He wanted to be rich and famous. Acting was in our blood."
Donal is currently on the lookout for a publisher for his book on the Gibson family titled Resurrection - Tales of Family, Madness, Mayhem & Surviving the Gibson Rage. He has stayed out of touch with Mel for more than five years now, but only wishes the best for him - "I still love Mel but I don't know who he is anymore. I want him to make things right between us. I want to live in peace."
